Analysis: On Red Orchestra, And Flowers

In this column, traveling games journalist Quintin Smith takes a look inside the snap, crackle and pop of Red Orchestra -- that rare shooter that actually simulates the cumbersome reality of guns and real bullets, while still managing to entertain.

Quintin Smith: "I've been hating on Battlefield 1943 a lot recently. Last week when a fan of the series thrust a calloused finger in my direction and demanded games which did large-scale combat better, I obviously mentioned Warhawk, but was surprised when another name fell out of my mouth. Red Orchestra. The UT2004 mod turned full game that paints a grubby, heart-stopping picture of the Eastern front of WW2."